This 48 minute video gives a wonderful overview of the body's ability to heal itself after removing toxic food products, and then be given live food nutrients from daily juicing.Charlotte Gerson is 89 years old in this recent interview and in vibrant health as you can see for yourself. She is the daughter of Dr. Max Gerson who started the 'Gerson Therapies' based on juicing fresh clean organic vegetables and fruits, that have helped so many people cure themselves of chronic disease conditions. Charlotte Gerson discusses what those juice combinations are as well as their effects, and other important information about live foods in this interview. So start the new year by learning what to do for yourself so you can live to be a healthy happy 100 year old!

Although not seen in this video, Jay Kordich is known as the 'juiceman' and has been juicing, and helping others to begin a daily juicing regime most of his life. This video is 48 minutes long and worth watching to learn about the the benefits, and history of juicing. The films about Dr.Gerson are listed on my inspiration page above. I will put this video above those films permanently.

It’s the last day for 2011! What are you doing? How are you spending it? Over here it is much of the same, nothing fancy in the works, although lots of little and big joys are realized and enjoyed. C is out biking up some mountain, as he has so happily been doing these holiday mornings. I have gloriously slept in, as I haven’t in a very long time. I am breakfasting on a simple cheddar cheese toastie slathered with my favorite guava jam, coffee ever present of course. Little C is playing with her stuffed carabao (water buffalo) – a sighting of a live carabao yesterday has her suddenly in love with the animal.

It will be a relatively simple eve as well. We are spending the evening with my mum, although C’s mum will be at a party nearby and may pop in for a drink after dinner. Mum will be roasting a chicken, steaming some green beans, and putting together her prawns and feta pasta. She also bought a few noise makers for little C(and us as well!). I’ll be making another one of these cakes (yes, it is truly a favorite in my family) and bringing over some nibbles: chorizo, C’s cheese and spicy sardine dip, dulong(tiny local fish) in olive oil and chili…and I’m thinking of walking over to my neighborhood delicatessen to see what interesting cheeses I might still be able to pick up. Bottles of wines and cava will soon be a-chilling. And after midnight it will be time for a bowl of my mum’s potent sopa seca (with bread, not rice or noodles).

I was going to spend this morning, and this blog post, reflecting on the year that was, the humble list of ambitions I set out in January, and how I’ve been able to, more or less, plow through them. This would have also been the time to put together a new list of, I won’t say resolutions, but directions, for the coming 2012. But the sun is shining through my window, little C is smelling extra yummy, and there is food to be cooked and enjoyed!

So let me leave you instead, for now, with another roast chicken we enjoyed.

Sambal Roasted Chicken

1 whole chicken

1/3 cup sambal asli

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon honey

1 lemon

1small bunch lemongrass

Canola oil (or any other vegetable oil)

Sea salt

- Mix sambal asli, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, parsley, honey, and the juice from the lemon (keep the lemon halves) in a small bowl until thoroughly blended. Set a couple of tablespoons of this aside for basting.

- Put a few spoonfuls of the sambal mix into the cavity of the chicken and rub throughout the cavity. Stuff the cavity with the lemongrass and the leftover lemon halves. Rub the whole outside of the chicken with the sambal mix generously, getting some in between the skin. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.

- Place the chicken on a rack in a baking pan. Pour some water onto the base of the pan, making sure it doesn’t touch the chicken. Cover the whole thing with foil and place in a pre-heated 400F oven.

- Roast the chicken for 40 minutes covered. Remove the foil and baste the chicken with your reserved sambal mix and a little canola oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Roast for 40 minutes to 1 hour more, or until chicken is cooked (when the juices run clear when pierced in the meatiest part), basting with the sambal mix a few more times in between.

- When the chicken is done, let it rest about 10 minutes before carving.

This is another dish born of the lovely sambal asligifted to us by my brother-in-law. I am quite certain there will be a few more dishes in this same theme down the road so I hope you don’t mind. We love all things spicy in general, and this sambal asli in particular. Keep basting the chicken to develop a fierce red-golden crust on it. I like to sprinkle salt at this point as well because intensely flavored, salty chicken skin is really a big part of the whole point of roast chicken in the first place, in my opinion at least.

I will leave the reflections and resolutions for January. I will share one with you now though: Enjoy the show. Whether it be a bone-melting hot shower, a devilishly rich cake, or the sweetest smelling bundle of energy in my life…I will enjoy every moment! Hard times come, that is for sure, but there is beauty and joy all around for those who take the time to enjoy them. So I will sign off now to do just that!

Newly Moms, Moms to be, and already Moms are still learning with the experience with the kids. Others do want some ideas and tips that they can inject in their normal routine with the kids. It is always good to learn new things from different point of view.

That's why there's a new place for Moms to learn and to share ideas and experiences. It is called the Top Moms, your new online partner in mommy matters.

Here's what Moms can find at Top Moms:

Top Mom Bloggers portion are Top Mom blogs packed with useful advice, not only about raising kids or taking care of the family, but also about enriching one's life both as a woman and a mom. Dr. Anna Vasquez is a psychiatrist who is as passionate about raising her kids as she is about her chosen profession, while Dr. Empress Villapando is a pediatrician and an all-around mom who shares her expertise in child rearing as a hos on ABC 5's Alagang Kapatid and as a resource speaker for Moms Today magazine. In Addition to writing weekly blog posts, Dr. Anna Vasquez and Dr. Empress Villapando also answer questions from Top Moms community members.

What Kind of Top Mom Are You? quiz is an online quiz part of the Top Moms website for Moms to know the parenting style and to find out as well how well we are Moms.

Photo of the Week - Moms can share photos together with the kids, and see adorable snapshots posted by other Top Moms based on a fun weekly theme.

These are just some of the things that Moms, like me, can check out from the website. Visit the Top Moms!

We made this big crock-pot of chili to feed the family lunch over the holidays. I also made this recipe for my daughter's baby shower get together, and it was a hit. Everyone no matter their personal food lifestyle, always enjoys this hearty meal. Serve hot out of the crock-pot with some whole grain bread, multi-grain chips, or lentil crackers. Makes fantastic leftovers! Don't forget some refreshing vegetable juice!Loaded Vegetarian Chili

1 can of organic Kidney Beans rinsed and drained1 can of organic Garbanzo Beans rinsed and drained1 can of organic Black Beans rinsed and drained1 can of Pinto Beans rinsed and drained (optional)1 can of Aduki Beans rinsed and drained (optional)1 cup of fresh or frozen corn 1 can of organic peeled tomatoes sliced in half

Directions:In frying pan cook onion in oil with spices. Add the rest of the chopped veggies and cook 5 - 10 minutes. Add this vegetable mixture to your crock-pot. Add the rest of the ingredients to crock pot and cook on "high" for an hour. Lower temp to simmer on "low" for a few hours. Eat whenever you are ready! It's crazy good and so easy!

With any soup or stew recipe if you have your base ingredients you can make anything! So feel free to add or delete anything from this recipe according to what you have on hand, and that you know works well together. I researched a dozen different vegetarian chili recipes before I came up with this version.It's everything and the kitchen sink!

Notes: If you have problems with beans you could just use two or three kinds of beans instead of five!Also we do not like hot foods, so if you need some extra heat add however much chili spice you like to taste!

"Time to chop the vegetables!" (she said like the old "Time to make the donuts!")Click on "Read More' Below to continue reading this post.

Fry them up in the pan! Smells good so do a happy dance!

Spice up your life!

Put your Veggies from the frying pan into the crock-pot, add your base ingredients of broth and tomatoes. Rinse and drain your beans before adding to the crock. Turn crock-pot to high setting.

I used can beans, but you can certainly soak dried beans overnight if you buy them in bulk or bags, and use them instead.

Add the can of whole peeled organic tomatoes. So colorful! I cut some of the tomatoes in half while they are in the mix.

Gorgeous spices! I forgot to mix them in with the veggies in the frying pan. This way worked out fine anyway (and made a super photo)! If you already added your spice at the beginning, this would be a good time to taste test to see if you would like to add more of anything.Especially if you are one of those hotties!

Soak the chia seeds a few minutes till a jelly consistency and mix the maca powder with some water to dissolve and make a liquid.

Add two tablespoons of Dulse flakes, so good for the thyroid!

Give everything a good stir, cover and let cook through on high setting. You can then lower the temp in an hour or so, and let it keep going for the rest of the day till you are ready to eat. Go do something else! Ahhh! The beauty of crock-pot cooking!

Mmmm a warm and satisfying meal for these chilli 'chilli' winter days! Enjoy!

PhotographerSophie Elgortlinked to this article on twitter and I thought it was definitely worth posting here. As we start the New Year thinking about how we can be more organized or on time, perhaps we should start by working on being happy. Most of my friends will attest that I'm a pretty happy glass half full type of person. That's not to say that everyday is full of sunshine and rainbows. But when bad things happen, I always try to figure out a way to turn that negative situation around. Many times when I'm in a funk, a quick visit to twitter is all it takes to get me out of it. Everyone is so funny that before I know it, I'm laughing out loud. I've often joked that twitter is my happy place and it might just make an excellent No. 13 to this list.

12 Things Happy People Do Differently

Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 12 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness. These are things that we can start doing today to feel the effects of more happiness in our lives. (Check out her bookThe How of Happiness.)

1.Express gratitude.– When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. Kinda cool right? So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness. And that’s without having to go out and buy anything. It makes sense. We’re gonna have a hard time ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have.

2.Cultivate optimism.– Winners have the ability to manufacture their own optimism. No matter what the situation, the successful diva is the chick who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it. She knows failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life. People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.

3.Avoid over-thinking and social comparison.– Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous. If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense ofsuperiority. Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes out! If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made. What I’ve found is that the majority of the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place. If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself.

4.Practice acts of kindness.– Performing an act of kindness releases serotonin in your brain. (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.) Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside. What’s even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel better, but so will people watching the act of kindness. How extraordinary is that? Bystanders will be blessed with a release of serotonin just by watching what’s going on. A side note is that the job of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin. Move over Pfizer, kindness is kicking ass and taking names.

5.Nurture social relationships.– The happiest people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships. Did you know studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re lonely? WHOA! There’s a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from having an active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with. We feel connected and a part of something more meaningful than our lonesome existence.

6.Develop strategies for coping.– How you respond to the ‘craptastic’ moments is what shapes your character. Sometimes crap happens – it’s inevitable. Forrest Gump knows the deal. It can be hard to come up with creative solutions in the moment when manure is making its way up toward the fan. It helps to have healthy strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal.

7.Learn to forgive.– Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for your well-being. You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion. When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are eating away at your immune system. You put yourself in a state of suckerism (technical term) and it stays with you throughout your day.

8.Increase flow experiences.– Flow is a state in which it feels like time stands still. It’s when you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you become one with the task. Action and awareness are merged. You’re not hungry, sleepy, or emotional. You’re just completely engaged in the activity that you’re doing. Nothing is distracting you or competing for your focus.

9.Savor life’s joys.– Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to enjoy the joy. It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences. When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic. It’s the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember to fully experience them.

10.Commit to your goals.– Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force. Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to get somewhere. When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have no choice but to do that thing. Counter-intuitively, having no option – where you can’t change your mind – subconsciously makes humans happier because they know part of their purpose.

11.Practice spirituality.– When we practice spirituality or religion, we recognize that life is bigger than us. We surrender the silly idea that we are the mightiest thing ever. It enables us to connect to the source of all creation and embrace a connectedness with everything that exists. Some of the most accomplished people I know feel that they’re here doing work they’re “called to do.”

12.Take care of your body.– Taking care of your body is crucial to being the happiest person you can be. If you don’t have your physical energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus), your emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your purpose) will all be negatively affected. Did you know that studies conducted on people who were clinically depressed showed that consistent exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft? Not only that, but here’s the double whammy… Six months later, the people who participated in exercise were less likely to relapse because they had a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth.

Balikbayans arriving at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Pampanga, will experience their warmest welcome yet with the opening of the Pinoy Homecoming Hospitality Center at the airport on November 29.

Spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT), the homecoming center is part of the government's ongoing efforts to boost visitor arrivals from the balikbayan market by 25 percent in the next five years. Dubbed as the Pinoy Homecoming campaign, it primarily targets Filipinos based overseas, not only in the United States and Canada but worldwide.

A result of Presidential Proclamation No. 181 “Declaring the Years 2011 to 2016 as the Pinoy Homecoming Years” signed on June 3, 2011, the campaign supports Republic Act No. 6768, as amended, or the “Balikbayan Program.” Under the Balikbayan Program, overseas Filipinos (OFs) are given special privileges and benefits in recognition of their contribution to the growth of the Philippine economy in terms of foreign exchange inflow and remittances.

“This is a campaign that recognizes three things: the invaluable contributions of Filipinos overseas, our urgent need to develop and promote Philippine tourism further and how much can be achieved when government agencies work together,” shares DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez. “We also have to tap into the market of second and third generation Filipinos abroad and encourage them to discover their roots.”

To reach this set of younger Filipinos abroad, the campaign also has a digital marketing component. Through the website www.pinoyhomecoming.ph, Pinoys abroad can easily access Philippine news portals, tourism products and services, practical balikbayan tips, Philippine holiday and festival calendars, as well as a directory of industry partners and the contact details of DOT’s international offices.

The campaign is supported by Globe Telecom, Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC)and the over 700 partner-merchants nationwide. For more information on the campaign and balikbayan benefits, contact the Pinoy Homecoming Secretariat at 632 525-1255, 632 525-9318 local 268 or 244; fax to (632) 521-6165, or e-mail at tts@dotpcvc.gov.ph.

I was glad that I was invited to witness the launching of Archos newest generation Tablet PC. As we all know Moms are now having a taste of the techie stuff because we'll never know when will our kids ask us about this gadgets things so it is better to be informed and prepared, especially when Dads are not around.

Brand Manager Gelo of Archos discussed the details about their products. He even break some of our notion about the brand by revealing the background and history of Archos. With a relief, Archos was not the brand that we thought it is. After a few detailed explanation of Mr. Gelo on the other products of Archos, he then introduced their latest addition, the Archos Generation 9.

Comparing with other brands of Tablet PC, he point out some of the best feature that Archos have. It is quite good and it did have an edge on some of the brands.

All in all Archos launching made me think twice on choosing which brand of tablet pc to get. It becomes more complicated for a Mom like me. Anyway I'll get a hang of it any how.

1. Stop (or at least reduce) my street confrontations. Hard to imagine, I know, but I have the temper of a very mean spirited donkey. If I see a drunken jerkface on the street and he is jaywalking in front of the car but not nearly fast enough, I let him know. Even if I am sitting at a stoplight. No filter at all, I'm telling you. Apparently Mama Grand thinks she is going to get a call from Rob that I've been stabbed, so in an effort to extend my life, I've decided to bite my tongue a little more often. And try not to get stabbed. I think that's a good resolution.

2. Stop biting my nails. This has only been my resolution for ten years, so we'll bring it back for good measure.

Goals:

1. Play a French song on the guitar. I've been taking French classes for about three months now, and received the Pimsleur French audiobook for Christmas. I've had a guitar since seventh grade and have not learned a song on it yet. This is the year, I swear. I would really love to learn how to play this song before 2012 ends:

Catchy, isn't it??

2. Use every sewing pattern in my stash. I have such a large collection and I think it's time to explore those patterns that have been getting dusty for a long time now.

And finally....

3. Wear something me-made/altered/refashioned every day. I'm giving myself five vacation days that will give me a chance to do laundry/whatnot and wear things that might be getting neglected in the closet. So, for 361 days I will wear something that my hands have touched. Will there be documentation? Of course, but only at the end of each week. You and I would both get sick of my posting photos every day, I think. Oh yes, and those fabulous new undergarments that are currently on my sewing table TOTALLY COUNT. Winning. (There will be no pictures of said undergarments on my actual body because Mama Grand would have a heart attack ... and we love Mama Grand.)

So, Friends, those are my goals and resolutions for this upcoming year! What about you? Do you have any resolutions or goals in mind?

I could spend hours taking photos and editing them before posting but they will never get as much attention as an inspiration compilation post. So why bother fighting it. My friends at Flair Home also asked for more posts "for the boys" so I'm going to try to be better about making everyone happy. I took my tree down on Christmas night and started putting things away. January for me is all about a clean head and a clean space. I am especially taken with winter white mixed with grey, a little black, brass, and of course tan. Enjoy.